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New Hope Comic Book Shop Reacts to Death of Creator Stan Lee

Comic book icon Stan Lee died Monday, and fans say the world has lost a legend.

The famed author created dozens of famous superheroes. Spider Man, The Hulk, Black Panther, The X-Men, and Iron Man are just a small sampling of Lee’s legacy.

Groundbreaking Superheroes

Lee’s characters were groundbreaking – sometimes literally. Unlike rival superheroes, his creations had the kinds of human flaws typical to all of us. While Superman is nearly always perfectly poised and invulnerable, Spider Man’s personality leans toward the neurotic. He makes mistakes – lots of them – and unlike the Man of Steel, isn’t universally adored by his public.

“Prejudice is patently insane.”

Lee’s outspoken social activism found a home in the pages of his comics as well. Black Panther and the X-men were clear reflections of his views on the treatment of minority groups. Not that Lee confined his statements to the stories; each comic book had a section called Stan’s Soapbox. In one famous Soapbox from 1968, Lee discussed his views on prejudice. “Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today,” wrote Lee. He went on to call prejudice against races or religions patently insane.

“X-men is a great example,” says Joseph Courtney of Hot Comics in New Hope. “A lot of the X-men storylines paralleled the racial divide that was going on, and is continuing to go on.”

Above all, Courtney says even people who were never interested in superheroes will note Lee’s passing. “He’s the name people who don’t read comics, they know who he is.”

CCX Media is a service of Northwest Community Television serving the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota, including Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, Maple Grove, New Hope, Osseo, Plymouth and Robbinsdale.